Coffee Grounds as Mulch: Budget Gardening Tip

Last week we talked about using used coffee grounds (among other things) as natural slug prevention. But did you know, coffee grounds also make excellent garden mulch?

If you’re a coffee drinker, it’s a great way to use those used grounds (and paper filters) rather than just throwing them in the garbage. They can be spread in a thin layer throughout the garden as organic matter, or you can simply toss your used coffee grounds onto the garden. Unless you add several inches of coffee grounds to the garden, your soil’s pH won’t be affected. If you do add large amounts, work them into the garden soil rather than just placing them on top, as there have been reports that they will develop fungus if left exposed to the air.

If you’re not a coffee drinker, many coffee shops offer their spent coffee grounds to gardeners to use in their gardens. In fact, Starbucks has a “Grounds for Your Garden” campaign where most stores actually have a bucket (usually near the door) with their spent coffee grounds neatly packaged and ready to go.